Quinoa And Pea Spice Croquettes

Patties, cutlets, croquettes – no matter what they are called are always delicious bite sized appetizers that you just can’t resist when served. Drawing inspiration from Indian street food flavours, this gorgeous little croquette is vegetarian goodness amped with nutrient high quinoa. With a potato base, the quinoa acts as a binder eliminating the need for flour or egg. The spices add a subtle exotic flavour to the croquette. What I love about them is their versatility. They can be shaped like burger patties and provide an excellent vegetarian option for your friends at a BBQ. They can be stuffed inside wraps or pita breads with lashings of spicy sauce and green salad for a nutrient high meal. They are perfect mid-day lunchbox fillers and dressed up right can make a very sophisticated canapé at your party.

I have served these with nasturtium leaves and broccoli flowers both of which are in abundance in my veggie patch at the moment. Nasturtium leaves and flowers are both edible provided they are not sprayed. The leaves are akin to watercress and have a delicate peppery flavour. They go well with spice laden canapes and sweet tomato or chili based sauces.

QUINOA AND PEA SPICE CROQUETTES

A delicious, healthy vegetarian snack for your lunchbox, brunch with the girls or to throw on the grill.

Method

Heat one tablespoon oil on medium heat in a frying pan. Add garlic and peas. Sauté for a minute until soft. Remove from heat and tip into a large bowl. Wipe pan clean and return to low heat.

Add the potatoes, quinoa, coriander, salt, cumin and garam masala to the garlic and peas. Mix well and form into slightly flattened oblong croquettes.

Add a tablespoon of oil in the frying pan, increase heat to medium-high. When oil is hot, add four to five croquettes to tha pan depending on the size of the pan and cook each side for about four minutes flipping gently till done on both sides.

Sneh Roy is an award-winning food and lifestyle photographer, writer, stylist and designer based in Sydney with her husband, two boys and four chickens. Sneh explores life through delicious recipes, honest photography and rich storytelling often peppered with humour. She has a fondness for real food, rains, markets, freshly baked bread and happy endings.
She is also the author of Tasty Express, founder of the food design bazaar Tasty Circus and founder of Sydney design studio LBOI. Read more about Sneh.

How gorgeous! I haven’t had much luck with dairy/gluten free croquettes or patties previously so I’m keen to give these a go. It seems quinoa really is the wonder seed – so versatile! The additional notes are very handy too.

Gorgeous, and they sound amazing. I’ve never been brave enough to make croquettes at home for some reason, but this recipe might instill enough courage in me to give it a go!Stacy Spensley´s last blog post ..Why Does It Seem So Hard to Make Dietary Changes?

Lovely looking patties – we’re big fans of anything with potato in it in this house and the kids love anything that’s fried. I think I could make these work for my fussy teens – thanks.Amanda´s last blog post ..Cheesefest 2012

I love the idea of using quinoa as a binder. How did you figure that out? I make potato pancakes a couple of times a year, using egg and flour and a lot of oil. They are delicious but I could never call them light and healthy – I can’t wait to try these.Lisa´s last blog post ..Comment on GOAT CHEESE, CARAMELIZED ONION & FIG BRUSCHETTA by Lisa

I failed to ask the second part of my question. I mentioned that I was experimenting with eating rutabaga in place of potatoes because I’ve been told that they are less starchy. However I can’t seem to find any information to back that. Do you happen to know?

They really look good I remember making something similar to this but instead of potato i used rice (cooked well, like sticky) which makes it still Gluten free and hold its form well. It is good for those people who does not want to consume potato i am my doctor´s last blog post ..I (have to) LOVE MYSELF!

I made these at last yesterday for dinner and they were a big hit with the kids – they asked for seconds! I was amazed that they liked them because the week before they were going on about how red quinoa looks like budgie poo (it does have a certain similarity). It just shows again that it is only a case of getting them used to certain foods. Made the patties also crumbed and uncrumbed and prefered the uncrumbed ones, makes the quinoa nice and crunchy (and is less work!). Thanks for sharing!

I made these last weekend and I think I may have too much potato in them. When you say “large” potatoes, how large is large? I used large Russet potatoes and think they may be a bit toooooo large? Do you have a conversion to approximately how many cups of potatoes?

My 3 year old thought they were great but I’d like to perfect it for an upcoming party.

[…] weeknight recipes to try : Crab Spinach and Coconut Soup, Mushroom Chickpea Ragout on Toast and Quinoa and Pea Spice Croquettes. We each made one: I had soup, Helly the ragout and Lisa, croquettes. They were all delicious […]

Hello! I am Sneh from Sydney - a Food & Lifestyle Photographer, Stylist, Designer & Mum.
I am also the author of Tasty Express (Random House 2014). A wordsmith at heart, I have a fondness for rain, freshly baked bread and happy endings. This is my creative playground. Here you will find food to nourish your bodies & stories to enrich your souls.